Tutelage
by gryffindormischief
Summary: Ron has advice for Harry, as a man, and a Weasley.


A/N: prompt from tumblr! hope you enjoy the brotp time and the little bit of Teddy too :)

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Harry wakes to chubby hands smacking his cheeks impatiently and Ron's snickers. Bringing his hands to span Teddy's ribs, Harry opens his sleep-blurred eyes and tickles his godson's belly. "Thanks for the wake up call Ted."

Teddy grins and tips forward, placing a soggy, would-be kiss on Harry's jaw while Ron wanders over and slumps onto the foot of the bed. "Lad was getting bored and hungry."

"Lad meaning you, Ronald Billius?" Harry grumps, rubbing his eyes with one hand and feeling for his glasses with the other, hoping somehow Teddy avoided crunching them beneath his knees as he crawled across the bedspread.

Ron grabs Harry's arm and slaps his spectacles into his palm in a rather cavalier manner. "Don't sass me, Potter. I'm _days away from becoming completely unhinged_."

Groaning – which earns a giggle from Teddy – Harry blinks slowly as his lips twist into a grimace. "Must you remind me of that – "

"Young ears and a growing vocabulary, dear Harry," Ron cuts in, patting Harry's leg before loping toward the living area of Harry's flat.

Turning his attention back to his young charge, Harry prods Teddy's belly and sighs, "Sometimes I entertain ideas of becoming a hermit."

Teddy bounces and puts all his weight on Harry's already bruised ribs. "Ron said I'd get pizza if I woke ya."

Harry winces and Teddy freezes, hair tint sobering to his natural mousy brown as his fingers poke around clumsily under Harry's right eye, where the skin is likely darkening to a lovely shade of purple at the mo' – if the thudding pain is to be trusted. "How's it looking?"

Ron chooses that moment to re-enter, take-out menu and cordless phone in hand. "Lovely shade of _aubergine_ , actually," he eyes the menu, "Speaking of, can we get some on our pizza? Hermione's got me hooked."

After some shifting, Harry has Teddy settled in his lap and he's leaning against the headboard. "That alright with you little man?"

Teddy eyes Harry a moment with about as much gravity as could be expected of a toddler, then grabs Harry's ears and pulls his face down toward his own. "Are y'going t'be ok?"

He presses a kiss to Teddy's forehead and nods. "I'm fine."

"You're an idiot," Ron says, voice level and eyes never leaving the menu, "I've met smarter sandwiches."

Grinning toothily, Teddy claps his hands and practices his new word, " _Idjit_."

"I'm sending Andromeda to you when this becomes a problem," Harry drawls, scooping Teddy up and brushing past Ron.

Harry settles Teddy down on the couch and swipes the menu and phone from Ron, "And I'm not an idiot."

The conversation drops while Harry orders a couple pizzas and a box of garlic knots for delivery. Teddy's found a few stray blocks in the couch cushions by the time Ron's brining in drinks, plates, and other necessary accessories to their meal.

"I'd say being held hostage by a death eater wannabe and fighting your way out is a good reason not to be fine," Ron sets three plates and three napkins on the table, "And I'd say choosing to _not_ tell Ginny about it makes you an idiot."

The flat's filled with the aroma of garlic, oregano, olive oil, and they've worked their way through half a pie before Ron broaches the subject again. "Really. She's gonna kill you," he swipes another garlic knot and bites into it with relish, "snog you, then kill you."

Harry reaches to help Teddy spear a last bite of his pizza – previously cut by a certain godfather – and hands over the small fork. "She won't have _reason_ to kill me unless somebody spills."

Ron takes a gulp of his lager and shakes his head, "Ted has loose lips."

"I'm not worried about Teddy," Harry drawls, eyeing Ron warily.

Shrugging, Ron aims the neck of his bottle at Harry, "I'll fight Voldemort and a pack of Death Eaters for you, but I'm _not_ going up against Hermione and my sister."

"Who said anything about _Hermione_?" Harry asks, scowling.

"She's like a blood hound, and you know it."

With a reluctant nod, Harry concedes the point and swipes a napkin across Teddy's mouth. "I'll tell Ginny – in my own time."

Waving him off, Ron begins stacking their empty plates, "Sure you will," he steals a stray bit of eggplant from Teddy's plate, "You've got a half hour after she's home and then I'm going public."

"Some Gryffindor," Harry grumbles moodily, folding his arms.

"Stuff it."

"You."

Ron's about to continue their increasingly childish banter when Teddy giggles from somewhere near his elbow, "Stuff it."

Harry sighs.

Ruffling Teddy's purple tinged hair, Ron snickers, "At least it's not _adult_."

Before Harry can challenge that assumption, a pop sounds from the front hall and Ron's eyes widen like saucers, "Should I take Teddy away before the blood bath?"

Harry pulls Teddy toward him, hands on his tiny shoulders. "I want him as a shield," Teddy laughs when Harry tickles his neck, "She can't kill me if Ted's here looking cute."

Teddy grins and Ginny waltzes in, barefoot and windblown. "Why am I killing you?"

While Ron and Harry trade subtly panicked glances, Teddy waddles over to Ginny, hands grabbing and she responds with the quickness of an old pro, propping him on her hip and laying a smacking kiss on his round cheek. "What's your godfather done now?" she glances at Harry who has the sense to look somewhat concerned.

Teddy leans up and kisses Ginny in that soggy way of the young and snuggles against her chest, hands grasping at her hair where it rests at her shoulders.

Ginny nuzzles his downy head and Teddy cuddles closer. "Got hurt at work."

Slanting her eyes toward Harry, Ginny prompts, "Did he now?"

"They couldn't get 'm for a while," Teddy continues, nodding against her chest.

She's glaring now, brown eyes narrowed at Harry who's looking increasingly green. "Is that right?"

Teddy hums, leaning back and blinking up at Ginny in that smitten way Harry knows too well. He's lost one potential ally and doesn't even bother to see if Ron's on his side – not that he blames him. Death Eaters are one thing, but an angry Weasley is another.

Tilting her head close, Ginny nuzzles Teddy's nose and kisses one of his rosy cheeks. "Brother dear, would you take Teddy in the kitchen and give him one of Harry's 'secret' chocolate biscuits?" Ginny asks in a sickly sweet voice, handing Teddy over and turning her relentless gaze fully on Harry, "We'll be along in a mo'."

Ron's almost cleared the doorway when Ginny nearly growls, "Are you daft?"

"I said idiot, but either works," Ron cuts in, darting away when Harry blindly tosses a cushion his way.

And then, in that way only Ginny has, she manages to make Harry feel contrite and loved all in a few sentences, all while bringing a reluctant self-deprecating grin to his face. He dips his head, ruffling his hair with a sigh. "Sorry about - " he casts around for the appropriate finish, hand waving around as if the answer was floating in the ether.

Ginny grabs his hand and steps into his space, free hand caressing the purpling bruise under his eye. "Just – you," she bites her lip, "Don't feel like you've got to _protect_ me from your job – I know it's hard to resist the knight in shining armor impulse."

Harry smiles, small and hesitant and Ginny kisses him short and sweet. "We're a team, yeah?"

A bit of mischief sparks in Harry's eyes and he can't resist the impulse. "All our partnered endeavors do bring excellent results."

Groaning, Ginny drops her head back, hands landing on his shoulders and Harry feels that bubble of happiness that started his sixth year grow just a bit as Ginny's smile flashes and her hair glints in the lamplight. After a minute, he sobers though, "I'll get better. With the whole sharing bit."

"Bring the quality into line with your _other_ bits, eh?" Ginny murmurs, low and flirty and Harry pinches her waist. "Oi! Trying to be serious here."

"I am always serious when talking about your – "

Before she can finish, Ron shouts from the kitchen, "If you two wankers don't cut out the foreplay and get in here I'm telling Hermione exactly how much of her trifle you _didn't_ eat last week."


End file.
